Of Heroes and Fools
by LifesDarkFire
Summary: A companion piece to Deal. After making a deal with Henry, Gold is determined to find and rescue Belle. However he soon finds it's easier said than done because real life isn't like a fairy tale, no, real life is a tale of both heroes and fools.
1. Prologue: Of Thorns and Thistles

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters, I'm just playing pretend with them for just a little while.

**A/N: **This is a sequel/companion piece to my oneshot Deal. It might be beneficial to read that first, then to start upon this story, but the choice is up to you.

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><p><strong>Of Heroes and Fools <strong>

_Prologue- Of Thorns and Thistles_

On his twenty-seventh birthday, the universe gave Charles R. Thorn a gift he could never return. It had been a stupid accident he would later recall, trimming the rose bushes that were gently crawling over the walls and onto the window pain of Rachel Windom's house, he had reached a little too high and in seconds had plummeted to the ground right into the sticker bush he had kept muttering to himself to take out. The thorns had found a comfortable place on his face, and three hospital visits later Charles was informed he had severly impaired his vision. He could still see, sometimes, if the light was strong enough. He could see forms, and outlines, and shapes. Just blobs of colors and fuzzy figures of streetlamps and people. There was also a chance, the doctors assured him that in time there might be a corrective surgery they could try that would return his vision to some sort of normalcy but for now, Charles R. Thorn was stuck.

That was how Charles found himself sitting on a bench in front of the courthouse, tapping his new cane against the sidewalk as he played his favorite new game, "Person, tree or lamp post." He was just deciding on whether the oblong shape in front of him was a car or a badly trimmed bush when the tight staccato notes of heels on concrete made him lift his head.

"Mr. Thorn," A female voice purred from above, "just the man I was looking for."

Charles shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Yeah? Well if you don't mind, can you tell me who you are?"

"I'm surprised Mr. Thorn, don't you know the voice of your own Mayor?" Regina smirked down at the man who was currently staring at the lamppost five feet away. She watched as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, swallowing a few times. It was good to be reminded that some people still feared her in Storybrooke.

"O-of course Madame Mayor," Charles nervously twisted the tip of his cane between his fingers, "could I ask why you're looking for me?"

"Oh," Regina sighed, sitting down on the bench, "it's simple enough. I heard about your little," she paused looked him up and down, "accident. And decided I needed to help a citizen in need. You are in need aren't you?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Charles sighed and rubbed at his chin with his left hand grimacing at the stubble he found there. "I'm out of a job now since I lost my sight but Rachel, bless the girl, took me in as a temporary boarder 'till I can get back on my feet. But, I'm going to need a source of income to help pay for the groceries and such."

Regina rolled her eyes as her lips twisted into a sour smile, "Oh how nice." She muttered, "Now, I may have a solution for your income problem."

"Really?" Charles leaned forward in this seat toward the nearest blob, which luckily was Regina.

"Yes, you see the hospital is looking for a new…janitor for the psychiatric ward and-"

"We have a psychiatric ward?" Charles interrupted, "I never knew we had a psy-"

"Don't interrupt." Regina commanded, caught herself and plastered a sweet smile on her face and cooed, "I mean, of course we do Charles we only have a few patients there though, and it's off to the side of the main hospital since the cases we receive are just so troubling."

Charles nodded his brow furrowed in thought, "So what does this job entail anyway?" He raised his hands up to his face where a pair of darkened lenses was perched on his nose. "Not much a nearly blind man can do."

"Come now Mr. Thorn, you undersell yourself you're fully capable of every day life. You will merely have to mop the floor and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to the patients." Regina leaned closer, her lips thinning as her smile turned slightly vicious, "But," Regina added, "There is one condition."

Charles rubbed at his chin again, "What is it?"

"You cannot, under any circumstances, tell anyone about the patients or the psych ward." Regina leaned close, her arm brushing Charles. "Our patient's families value their privacy very dearly, since the cases we have there are so very extreme." Her voice became soft as she placed her hand upon his arm, "You understand of course?"

"Of course," Charles shrugged, "I understand."

"Good." Regina smiled and patted his arm for emphasis. "Meet me here tomorrow at seven o' clock and I'll show you where you'll be working. You should settle in just fine."

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><p><strong>AN: **I should be updating this story soon, so keep a look out for the next chapter. Charles Thorn is based on a fairy tale character, even though he is a character of my own devising. Perhaps you've already guessed who he is, I'd love to hear your guesses. Please leave a review!


	2. Chapter 1: Of Names and Deals

_Chapter 1: Of Names and Deals_

**Four Years Later**

Gold slammed the drawer back into its slot; he had been through the cards, the lists, the books. He had called, telephoned; paid visits to every person on his lists that were associated with the hospital yet no one could produce the building plans for the great monolith. He had carefully prowled the bleached aluminum halls himself, passing wilted daisies or carnations to ailing patients who flinched from his careful inspection of their facial features, or the whispering shadows of their voices. He had tried every source within his power and still Regina had eluded him. It had been one week since his talk with Henry upon the bench in front of the courthouse. It had only been one week since his tired old heart began to thrum again with something that felt disgustingly like hope and he'd be damned if he was going to give up now.

Gold had started rummaging through his cards again, beginning at A when the bell to his store chimed. He looked up from the battered card he held between his ink stained fingertips, a small smile tilting the corners of his lips until he saw who had entered. His smile fell and he returned to rummaging through his cards, "Whatever it is you need Sherriff Swan can surely wait until tomorrow."

Emma placed her hands on the counter and sighed, "Afraid it can't. I'm on business for Regina."

"Oh?" Gold looked up, one eyebrow cocked in question, "And what business might that be?"

"She doesn't want you talking to Henry anymore." Emma stated, folding her arms defiantly across her chest. "Says it makes her uncomfortable."

"Hmm," Gold hummed, placing the card her held back into its slot. "It seems that anyone talking to Henry makes our dear Madame Mayor uncomfortable." He looked up at Emma, "I wonder why that is?"

"Look I'm just the messenger ok?" She shifted on the balls of her feet, "To be clear, I don't like you talking to Henry either."

Gold let out a chuckle as he picked another card out of the drawer and studied it, "You may not like it, Sherriff Swan but you really don't have any say in the matter." He looked up from the card and smiled, "But, I can assure you, I did not initiate conversation with the boy. He did that all by himself."

Emma's arms fell to her sides, "What do you mean?" She clenched her hands on the countertop, "What did he say?"

"Ah, ah, ah, my dear, mind the glass now." Gold reprimanded, as he lightly smacked Emma's hands off of the countertop and wiped her finger prints from the surface. "We had the most interesting conversation." Gold placed the card he held languidly between his fingertips back into the slot, and paused, his hand hovering over the edge of another. "He told me all about his book full of fairy tales."

"Oh?" Emma tried to be nonchalant, "What did he say about it?"

"This," Gold raised a hand, "and that." He dropped it down to the drawer of cards again. "I think he's convinced we're all characters in the book." Gold chuckled as he glanced up at Emma, "Funny don't you think?"

Emma shrugged, "What did you say to him?"

"Oh," Gold shrugged this time, "I just said that the book was nothing more" he paused, "nothing less."

Emma's eyebrows furrowed in thought as she gazed at Gold who went back to carefully selecting cards from his drawer, he glanced at one, dropped it back down and repeated the process.

"Is there anything else you need Sherriff Swan? As you can see I'm a very busy man." Gold swept his arms out, and glanced around his dusty shop.

"What character did Henry say you are?"

"Me?" Gold smiled, and flourished his hand a bit in the air, "Isn't it obvious?"

"I wouldn't know," Emma shrugged, "I didn't really hear a lot of fairy tales when I was a kid."

"Ah," Gold sighed, "I see. Well, I'm sure if Regina will let you see Henry again you can ask him yourself."

She leaned forward and nodded her head, "Why won't you tell me?"

"You see Sherriff Swan; a key motif in fairy tales is that names, names have power." Gold leaned forward, his voice lowering to a whisper, "If a person tells you their true name, from their own lips, all their power is gone." He snapped his fingers, "Just like that. Do you know why?"

When Emma shook her head he answered, "Because you own a piece of their soul." Gold shrugged, "Of course it's just a fairy tale myth but if I really am a lost fairy tale character I want all the pieces of my soul intact. You never know when you'll be in need of power," his eyes lingered on the drawers in front of him, "or a deal."

"Yeah well, I'll be sure to ask Henry the next time I see him." Emma nodded, "Thanks for your time." She turned and was about to leave the store when Gold called out, "Oh and Sherriff? How's about a deal?"

Emma turned on her heel, "Don't I already owe you a favor?"

Gold smiled, "Yes, but I like to stock up on favors. You don't know when they'll come in handy. What do you say? Do you want to make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?" Emma asked her gaze hardening as she re-crossed her arms across her chest.

"Just a simple deal that will benefit us both, because you see, I have a certain pull with Regina and I could convince her to let you see Henry again." Gold help up a finger, "If you agree to do something for me of course."

"What would I have to do?"

Gold's smile deepened, "Oh nothing at all my dear, just pull up the blue prints for Storybrooke hospital that's all."

"This is about Mr. French again isn't it? Look, whatever it is you don't like about him has to end now I'm not pu-"

"This is not about Mr. French." Gold muttered through clenched teeth, his hand gripping his cane beneath the counter went white as he struggled for control. "I'm contemplating making a donation to the hospital. A very large donation, you see, and I'd like to see where it's cosmetically appropriate to place a few new offices."

Emma frowned, "Why don't you just go to the court house and ask for the plans there?"

Gold grimaced, "I would, but, the plans are under Regina's control, and I doubt she would afford someone else in this town an opportunity to look wealthier than herself."

"As tempting as your offer is, I don't have the ability to pull up those plans." Emma sighed, "Looks like your philanthropy will have to go to something else."

"I understand Sherriff." Gold nodded, and watched as Emma nodded again and left his shop, the tinkling bell wavering in her wake.

He took a deep breath and slammed the drawer back into its holder with ferocity. "She must be there then, Regina hasn't guarded anything as close as those plans. Belle must be somewhere within those walls." Gold limped to his back room, shutting the door with a soft click as he murmured to himself, "But where?"

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><p><strong>AN: **There you have it, chapter one complete with Gold. I hope you liked it, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Next chapter will be centered around Belle. Thank you to all the readers who added my story to story alert lists, I hope I didn't disappoint with this newest chapter. Chapter two should be up soon!


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